All Final Fantasy fans typically have that one game in the series that doesn’t quite do it for them.

For me, it was Final Fantasy VIII. For a co-worker of mine who’s a diehard Final Fantasy fan, it’s Final Fantasy XII. He actually hated the game so much that he only played it for a bit before giving up.

Honestly, I don’t blame the guy.

That’s because I remember feeling totally salty about the game’s battle system, too, during my first few hours playing it on the PlayStation 2 back in 2006. I say that as someone who loves classic JRPG turn-based fights and considered FF12’s automated gambit system as shoehorned heresy. I was bummed that they plopped in what’s essentially an MMORPG battle system into a single-player game, which I felt should be able to provide more precise character control during fights.

At the same time, I wanted to see how the whole story ended so I kept soldiering on and playing the game. I now consider that a fortunate turn of events, no pun intended.

See, after reaching the higher levels of the game and having more of the gambit system’s options open up to me, something happened. I actually started warming up to what I initially considered an unholy abomination.

It was a slow and gradual change, to be sure.

“Well, I guess it isn’t too bad,” I started thinking at first.

At the very least, it made grinding through the mobs that JRPGs like to throw your way in between destinations less of a chore. Eventually, however, grudging acceptance turned into actual enjoyment. Like a mad scientist, I found myself actually enjoying the process of coming up with all sorts of automated combinations for my characters and see how they would turn out in actual use.

It’s a feeling I remember as I find myself revisiting the world of Ivalice once more in “Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age” for the PS4.

Once again, you start out right smack in the middle of a brutal political chess match that finds the small kingdom of Dalmasca literally caught in the middle. It’s a familiar tale in many a story where the protagonists find themselves rising up against a bigger, more powerful foe while dealing with an intricate web of deception and intrigue.

As someone who hasn’t touched the game in a decade, I forgot just how dark the beginning of this game was. I mean, holy Chocobo, talk about a depressing opening sequence.

"Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age," for PlayStation 4.

(Photo: Square Enix)

One thing I liked about FF12 even back in the day was its generally likable cast of characters, which continues to hold true to this day. I still remember gravitating toward older characters such as Basch and Balthier, who provided a more mature, level-headed counterpoint to all the young emo characters who were starting to pop up in all sorts of media at the time. I also appreciated the overall look of FF12’s world and characters, which I felt had more classic fantasy elements to it compared to games like FF8 and FF10 (the latter of which, I loved by the way). Add the remastered graphics and this iteration of FF12 holds up surprisingly well today.

At the same time, the game also throws in some new features, especially for folks such as myself who only played the original PS2 version.

At the top of the list is the Zodiac Job System, which was originally added to the special “International” edition of the game, which, ironically enough, didn't make it outside of Asia officially. This replaced the original job system, which was a lot more freewheeling because characters essentially shared the same license board and had access to the same paths. In that sense, the Zodiac Job System is more restrictive as you now have to pick a class for your characters right off the bat. This limits your character’s progression to the available licenses for that specific class so you can no longer share the same one or two “optimal” builds with everyone.

Although the change looks limiting at first, it actually adds much-needed class variety to your party. You have 12 classes to pick from that correspond to a sign in the zodiac calendar, thus its name. These include classics such as Knight, White Mage and Black Mage as well as some more interestingly named jobs that are a bit of a variation on some older classes such as Uhlan, Shikari and Bushi. As an old-school gamer, I found this take on the Final Fantasy job system to be quite fun, providing a variety of options from powerful melee classes and beefy tanks to supports and powerful spell users.

Adding an extra layer of strategy is the ability to pick a second class for each character. This allows for a wide range of mixing and matching to see which combinations synergize well with each other. Do you try to use one class to offset another class’ weaknesses and give a character more balance? Or do you go all out on a particular advantage and layer power over power? It’s an intriguing proposition that makes theory crafting quite interesting and also rewarding if your strategic machinations work out in the battlefield.

Another addition not available in the original version is High-Speed Mode. You get two options: double speed and quadruple speed. This allows you to blaze through portions of the game that are normally a slog in just about every old-school JRPG.

"Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age," for PlayStation 4.

(Photo: Square Enix)

You can use quadruple speed, for example, when crossing through large swaths of terrain. For more challenging fights in enclosed spaces like dungeons, you might want to opt for double speed instead. Combined with the gambit system, this makes wading through foes — typically one of the downsides of classic JRPGs — much more manageable.

For an extra challenge, the game adds a Trial Mode that requires you to fight through 100 consecutive battles, including some of the toughest skirmishes you’ll see in the game. Clear this and you’ll unlock Weak Mode, which adds even more difficulty by forcing you to play under tougher circumstances.

At the same time, FF12: The Zodiac Age has its share of downsides, some of which carry over from the original game. The initial underwhelming experience during the first few hours before you get into the meat of the battle system, for example, is as boring as I remembered it to be. Thankfully, you at least have the high-speed option this time in order to get through that faster.

The main campaign, meanwhile, is on the easy side and doesn’t provide much of a challenge. If you want to really test yourself, you’ll want to do some of the optional stuff like challenges and Weak Mode.

You also don’t get as much guidance on the different jobs in the beginning so it’s easy to be overwhelmed as you mull your options. I literally stared at the screen for several minutes as I considered what classes to use and just hoped I didn’t set myself down a terrible path when I reach the late game.

Despite those drawbacks, FF12: The Zodiac Age is a solid remaster that breathes new life into a decade-old title. If you are a JRPG lover who never played the original or simply want to revisit it with upgraded visuals, audio and other features, you’ll want to give this a old Final Fantasy destination a return trip.

FINAL THOUGHTS

“Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age” brings back a pivotal title in the series’ modern period that has proved to be ahead of its time. It’s like a time capsule that bridges the transition from the series’ classic roots to its more modern iterations. Like the original game it's based on, the game is not perfect. If you love JRPGs, however, this is one history lesson you’ll want to take.